Statute Details
- Title: Remand Home
- Act Code: CYPA1993-S204-2006
- Legislation Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Children and Young Persons Act (Cap. 38)
- Authorising Provision: Section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act
- Notification / Instrument Number: S 204
- Commencement / Effective Date (appointment): 1 April 2006
- Cancellation of prior notification: 14 April 2006
- Current version status: Current version as at 27 March 2026 (per the platform extract)
- Key subject matter: Appointment of a specific institution as a “remand home” for the purposes of the Act
What Is This Legislation About?
The instrument titled “Remand Home” is a Singapore subsidiary legislation notification made under the Children and Young Persons Act (“CYPA”). In practical terms, it does not create a new remand-home regime from scratch. Instead, it performs an administrative but legally significant function: it formally appoints a particular institution—the Singapore Girls’ Home at 1 Defu Avenue 1, Singapore 359540—as a “remand home” for the purposes of the CYPA.
Under the CYPA, “remand homes” are facilities used in the criminal justice and child welfare interface for children and young persons who are subject to remand arrangements. The legal framework requires that only properly designated premises may be used for these purposes. This notification is therefore part of the operational infrastructure of the CYPA: it identifies where remanded children and young persons may be placed, and it does so by exercising the statutory power conferred on the Minister.
The notification also addresses continuity and legal housekeeping. It cancels an earlier remand-home notification (the “Children and Young Persons (Remand Homes) (Consolidation) Notification (N 5)”) with effect from 14 April 2006. This ensures that the legal designation of remand homes remains current and consistent, avoiding conflicts between old and new designations.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. Appointment of the Singapore Girls’ Home as a remand home (effective 1 April 2006). The core operative provision states that, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 53 of the CYPA, the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports has appointed the Singapore Girls’ Home (addressed as “1 Defu Avenue 1, Singapore 359540”) to be a remand home for the purposes of the Act. The appointment takes effect from 1 April 2006.
For practitioners, the significance of this provision is evidential and jurisdictional. When a child or young person is remanded, the placement must be lawful. A remand home designation is one of the legal prerequisites that supports the legality of detention/placement arrangements under the CYPA framework. In disputes—whether in judicial review, habeas corpus-type proceedings, or appeals involving procedural legality—showing that the facility was properly appointed at the relevant time can be critical.
2. Cancellation of the earlier “Consolidation” notification (effective 14 April 2006). The second operative paragraph provides that the Children and Young Persons (Remand Homes) (Consolidation) Notification (N 5) is cancelled with effect from 14 April 2006.
This cancellation matters because remand-home designations are not merely factual; they are legal statuses established by notifications. If an earlier notification remained in force, it could create ambiguity about which premises are authorised, or about whether the earlier instrument continues to govern the remand-home list. By cancelling the earlier notification, the Minister ensures that the legal record reflects the updated appointment arrangements.
3. Reliance on section 53 of the CYPA. Although the extract does not reproduce section 53 itself, the notification expressly grounds its authority in that provision. This is a standard legislative technique: the notification is valid only because the CYPA confers a power to appoint remand homes. For lawyers, this linkage is important for statutory interpretation and validity analysis. If a challenge were ever mounted, the question would likely be whether the Minister acted within the scope of section 53—e.g., whether the Minister had the power to appoint the specified premises and whether the appointment complied with any procedural requirements embedded in the CYPA.
4. Administrative nature, but legal consequences. The instrument is short and appears to be an administrative notification rather than a comprehensive code. However, its legal consequences are substantial. The designation of a remand home affects where a child or young person may be placed, how custody/placement is administered, and how rights and safeguards under the CYPA are operationalised. In other words, even a brief notification can be decisive in practice.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
This instrument is structured as a formal notification with an enacting formula and two numbered operative paragraphs. The structure is typical of subsidiary legislation notifications in Singapore:
(a) Enacting formula / authority statement: It states that the notification is made “for general information” and that it is issued in exercise of powers under section 53 of the CYPA.
(b) Operative paragraph 1: It appoints a named institution as a remand home, specifying the address and the effective date (1 April 2006).
(c) Operative paragraph 2: It cancels an earlier notification, specifying the effective date of cancellation (14 April 2006).
There are no “parts” or “sections” within the instrument itself in the way a full Act might be organised. The legal effect is achieved through the appointment and cancellation clauses.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The notification applies to the administration of remand arrangements under the CYPA. While it does not directly address “persons” in the way a regulatory statute might, its practical reach is to:
(i) the designated institution (Singapore Girls’ Home), which becomes authorised to function as a remand home; and
(ii) the authorities and decision-makers who place children and young persons in remand homes under the CYPA regime.
It also indirectly affects children and young persons who may be remanded during the relevant period, because the legality of their placement depends on whether the facility is properly appointed. For legal practitioners, the key is temporal: the appointment is effective from 1 April 2006, and the cancellation of the earlier notification takes effect from 14 April 2006. Therefore, for any case involving placements around those dates, the correct version and effective dates of the remand-home designations should be checked.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Although the “Remand Home” notification is brief, it plays an important role in ensuring that the CYPA’s remand-home system operates within a lawful and transparent framework. In child-related detention or placement contexts, legality and accountability are paramount. Designating a remand home by notification helps ensure that placements occur in facilities that have been formally recognised for the statutory purpose.
From an enforcement and compliance perspective, the notification provides clarity to agencies and institutions. It reduces uncertainty about which premises are authorised, and it helps prevent administrative errors that could undermine the legality of remand placements. The cancellation of the earlier consolidation notification further supports legal coherence by aligning the remand-home list with the updated appointment.
For practitioners, the most practical value lies in case preparation and legality checks. When reviewing remand-related decisions, counsel may need to confirm that the placement facility was designated at the relevant time. This can be relevant to:
- procedural legality (whether the placement was made under the correct statutory authorisation);
- evidential matters (what documents prove the facility’s status);
- temporal accuracy (which notification version applied on the date of placement); and
- public law challenges (where the lawfulness of detention/placement is contested).
Finally, the instrument illustrates how Singapore’s legislative system uses targeted subsidiary notifications to implement statutory powers. Even where the substantive rights and duties are found in the CYPA, the operational “where” and “which facility” questions are often resolved through instruments like this one.
Related Legislation
- Children and Young Persons Act (Cap. 38) — in particular section 53 (power to appoint remand homes)
- Children and Young Persons (Remand Homes) (Consolidation) Notification (N 5) — cancelled with effect from 14 April 2006
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Remand Home for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.